More User Reviews:

Pours a dark deep and nice black color, with a half inch head, and a good amount of foamy lacing.

Smells really nice, good roasty malt and chocolate, with a hint of smoke, and a good dark berry aroma. Smells like it's gonna taste great.

And it does taste great. I love the dark fruit and berry character here- I get some raisin and plum, but also get a slight hint of cherry and even blackberry, along with some bitterness imparted by roast, some dark chocolate, and the slightest amount of roasted coffee. There's a hint of smoke on the finish, too. Really complex, and just all around enjoyable to drink.

This is fairly thick bodied, with a creamy mouthfeel. The alcohol shows itself just ever so slightly- there's some really minor heat on the back end, but nothing off-putting, it's actually nice, adding a warmth to the end of the brew. There's a fairly low level of carbonation.

This might be the best baltic porter I've ever had, at least the best non-barrel aged one I've had. Just a really, really well crafted beer. This is what I've come to expect from Smuttynose. (1,148 characters)

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose's Baltic Porter a few weeks ago for $2.79 at Holiday Market. I think it's been a little while since I've had a Baltic Porter and since I'm working my way from the Smuttynose lineup I thought I would give this one a try, so lets see how it goes. Bottled January 2015. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A- The label looks good, it's got a nice design to it and it's eye catching. It poured a nice black color that didn't let any light come through and it had almost a fingers worth of darker tan head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left some patchy lacing behind. This is a good looking Baltic Porter, but I wish it had a little more head.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the malts being the first to show up and they impart some nice roasted, sweet malts, dark chocolate and milk chocolate aroma with just a slight coffee aroma coming through. Up next comes a nice fruity aroma with some nice dark fruit aromas showing and it seems like it's the dark cherries that seem to stick out the most and it's followed by a very light alcohol aroma. This beer has a good aroma and it's just what I would expect from a good Baltic Porter.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with the malts still being the first the show to up and they impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but this time no single aspects seem to stick out the most. Up next comes a very light alcohol flavor and it's followed by the same dark fruits that I got in the aroma, but this time they are just a little lighter. On the finish there's a lower amount of bitterness with a nice chocolate and dark fruit aftertaste. This is a good tasting Baltic Porter, it's just what I expect from the style.

M- Smooth, crisp, slightly sticky, on the thicker side of being medium bodied with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation. This beer has a good mouthfeel that works well with it.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and a good example of the style, it had petty much all the aspects that I look for in a good Baltic Porter and it didn't have any off flavors and anything that didn't fit into the style and it made for a tasty Baltic Porter. This beer had nice drinkability, it was smooth, crisp, slightly sticky, not too filling and the taste did a nice job at holding my attention, I think one would be the perfect amount for me, but I wouldn't rule out drinking two, but that would be my limit. What I like the most about this beer was that it was a very true example of the style. What I like the least about this beer was the appearance, it wasn't bad at all, but I thought it could have a little more head. I would buy this beer again when in the mood for a Baltic Porter and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the style or dark beers in general. All in all I was happy with this beer, it had all the things that I look for in the style and in the end it was just a tasty Baltic Porter. It's one of the better Smuttynose beers I've had and it's one of the better Baltic Porters I've had. Good job guys this was a good Baltic Porter, keep up the hard work. (3,277 characters)

Great to see Smuttynose make this part of there new "Big Beer" series and for my money this is the best.Poured into a 22oz nonic a rich and dark nearly opaque black with a large blooming mocha colored head that settled rather quickly leaving no lace behind.I had to give the aroma a "5" because not only are they incredibly appetizing but they just jump out at ya,big juicy prune/raisin dipped in dark bitter chocolate with a hint of dry wood.Great balance of sweeter dark fruit and dark chocolate and a dry leafy,woody finish there is a large dose of hop but it still stays pretty true to style.A great new addition Smuttynose great work. (639 characters)

Caramel, cocoa, and licorice dominate the aroma. Absinthe comes to mind. Mysterious and seductive. Subtle coffee pokes through with warmth.

Prominent malt sweetness of caramel and chocolate balanced by a bright, spicy hop character that distinguishes it from an RIS. Clean with no fruity esters. Sweet, but light roast character keeps it from being cloying. Plum and raisin flavors from the malts are secondary.

Smooth up front, with a spicy hop finish. Damn near immaculate mouthfeel.

Warming, happy alcohol, barely evident to the taste. A bit much if you take a bomber to the head (as I am).

Possibly my favorite beer of winter so far, and it's not even winter! And that includes Bitches Brew. (916 characters)

bottle into a pint glass. thought about a tulip or something and decided to just go for it. might I add want a damn good looking label this beer has. the colors alone grab you from across the room. great.

S: raw cocao and coffee, bread and dough like brownies in the air. wax and sugar to finish.

T/M: flashes strong with chocolate and coffee. i know its a cliche but damn choc/coffee. depth for sure, sugar nicely balanced by roasted grain and a tiny bit of hop oil. even some green raisin type fruit. finishes with chocolate, roasted bitterness, some powdered sugar on the tongue and a lingering acidity. mouthfeel is big rich creamy and tingly. very nicely done.

D: very nice for such a robust beer.

like the year round porter smutty has excelled here at the creaminess of the porter and really done a service to the style and us consumers. there should be a difference between a porter and a stout and so often theres not. smutty shows us here and all year what makes a porter a porter.

Served in a tulip, this was a black, black beer. It had a thick coffee-colored head, with lacing all the way to the bottom of the glass. It had a coffee aroma, as well as some sweet fruitiness. The coffee taste lingered well. Also some noticeable raisin/dark fruit taste. The sweet fruit combined well with the coffee, making this a mellow, eminently drinkable beer. Would drink this beer anytime, anywhere. Cool label, too. (424 characters)

Pours jet black, mocha head.Smells of coffee, plums, dark chocolate and some alcohol.Taste is of dark, bitter chocolate, with coffee, some fruit, and a nice warming alcohol finish.Nice mouthfeel. Smooth, almost creamy.I wish I had bought more of this. (255 characters)

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 1pint 6oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. It is labeled as "Bottle Conditioned In 2009" and there is no ABV%.

Appearance: It has a slow thick pour which is very dark. In the glass it looks nearly opaque and black in color. On top there is a tall light brown head. The head has good retention and leaves some splotchy lacing on the glass.

Smell: The aroma has sweet and roasty maltiness. It's bready and grainy with hints of dark fruit and noticeable alcohol.

Taste/Palate: There is a lot of full bodied sweet dark roasted barley malt wrapped up with some mellow boozy alcohol. There are notes of chocolate, dark dried fruits, golden raisons, burnt sugar and dark/burnt toasted bread. The finish has some leafy hop flavor and mild bitterness creeping in for some balance. Overall it still has plenty of residual sweetness in the end. Its not overpowering or cloying at all but it will slow down the drinkability as it lets you know it's a big beer. On the tongue it has a slick viscose feel. There is just enough carbonation to ease it over the palate.

Notes: I have to say that I love this beer. I love big complex dark beers and this one delivers!!! (1,207 characters)

First off, the label on this sucker is badass. With that said, I have been excited to try this one from the beloved Smuttynose. The beer pours an extremely rich, oily look. Pitch black color with no light entering when held up to the light. The pour resulted in a chunky, light brown, thick head that retains nicely. Terrific lacing. Aromas of sweet malts, milk chocolate, roastiness, coffee. Tastes of more sweet malts, lots of bittersweet dark chocolate, espresso, lots of roastiness with a bitter hop flavor in the finish along with an alcohol presence that lingers on the palette for a long while after each sip.Rich, thick, viscous mouthfeel, prickly with tiny bubbles from the good carbonation, semi-dry finish. Warming effect in the belly. Extremely tasty and enjoyable, Highly drinkable. Ahhh, Smuttynose. (815 characters)

A - Pours a rich, deep, dark copper-brown, almost like syrup. A thick three-finger head of well-tanned khaki foam that's really tight very slowly dissolves, leaving a generous band of lace around the edge of the glass. Even after the head has finally disappeared, the surface is still covered by an almost solid sheen of very fine bubbles. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a rich black and completely solid - not a bit of light penetrates the liquid, even at the edges of the glass.

S - Dark biscuits, chocolate bread, hints of anise. Alcohol pushes up into the nose just behind these, and it's almost too much as it hides any subtle smells that might also be in the glass. As it warms, 50% milk chocolate shows up, along with hints of dark dried fruits like tart black cherries. Notes of dark caramels also appear.

T - A cup of medium roast coffee with lots of rich dark bitter chocolate melted into it. Boozy, almost like cough syrup. Hot. Some notes of dark, unsweetened dried fruit like dark plums and raisins with licorice mix with earthy bittering hops and dark cocoa powder on the back-end.

M - Thick and frothy from the carbonation makes it airy, but creamy on the tongue like a Fudgsicle. Richness. Surprisingly dry on a finish that hangs around more on the alcohol than anything else.

O - Rich and full in ingredients, this beer needs to age to let the alcohol integrate into them and mellow it out. A drink to warm your tummy on a cold winter night. The next couple of these I find are going to be laid down for a couple of years to see if that's what can turn this promise of a delicious brew into an actual one. If it does, this is easily a beer that will score well into the 4s. The components are clearly there - they just need more time to come together. (1,824 characters)

Smuttynose Baltic Porter2012 bottle aged for a year into a Cigar City snifferA: pours black/brown with a nice full head that dissipates quickly. Lacing is decent, nice ring but doesn’t hold long.S: espresso and malt that smells like brown ale. T: Wow over carbonation, some dark notes that fade into a pleasant malty background. Nut flavors throughout. M: A full nut flavor with more carbonation.O: interesting, not bad, but more like a brown ale than a Baltic porter. (476 characters)